Soap bubble gun holster



June 28, 1960 J. E. MANN SOAP BUBBLE GUN HOLSTER Filed May 19, 1958 AH-why t It 41 in FIG. 2

INVENTOR JACK E. MANN BY 58 M ATTORNEYS nitedStates 1 The present invention relates to a holster for abubble gun and particularly a holster of the type which forms a reservoir for bubble forming liquid.

In practicing the present invention, the holster is so constructed that the bottom thereof forms a reservoir for bubble forming liquid. This reservoir is adapted to receive the front end of the bubble gun, i.e., the front end of the gun is adapted to be immersed in the liquid and thereby charged with bubble forming liquid, and the gun will be ready for use as soon as it is withdrawn from the holster.

The holster is also provided with an upper section in the form of an inverted skirt and is provided with a section intermediate the lower reservoir of skirt section having a liquid capacity at least equal to the capacity of the lower reservoir regardless of on which side the holster may be laid.

The holster of the present invention'also includes a check valve between the intermediate chamber and lower reservoir. This valve is so positioned that it is opened merely by depressing the gun and is closed automatically by a spring when the gun is no longer depressed, or, the spring valve can be such that the gun itself, due to its Weight, maintains thevalve open. Of course the'valve will be closed when the gun is lifted oif the valve, as when the. gun is withdrawn from the holster.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of the improved holsterjwith a bubble forming gun therein; and

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the holster but on a somewhat larger scale.

Referring more ,in detail to the drawings, the holster is indicated at 20 and the upper end of the bubble form.- ing gun is indicated at 22. This gun may be of the type shown in the Schwerbel and Mann Patent No. 2,828,579, issued April 1, 1958. The holster may be formed of any suitable material such as a thermosetting plastic. It includes a reservoir 24 'at the extreme bottom thereof, an upper section in the form of an inverted skirt 26, an intermediate section 28 and a rearwardly projecting portion 30 having a vertically extending circular opening 32 therein. 1 The skirt section 26 is provided with an intermediate upwardly extending wall 34 which, in cooperation with the front wall 36 of the section 26 provides a guide 38 for the barrel of the gun. The upwardly extending wall may be substantially semicircular in shape.

The intermediate section 28 is formed by enlarging the cross-sectional area relative to the cross-sectional area of the reservoir 24 and bya lower wall 40 and an upper wall 42. The lower wall 40 is provided with an opening 44 which is'axially aligned with the guide 38 for receiving the end of the gun barrel. The he ght of the section 28, the cross-sectional area on a horizontal plane of the section 28, and the walls 40 and 42 are so extended that the liquid containing capacity of the section 28 is at least equal to the full capacity of the reservoir 24. The chamber thus formed by the section 28 will prevent the spilling of liquid to outside the holster 20 regardless ofthe side on which the holster is laid.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a valve in the form of a disc '46 seats or is adapted to seat on the under surface 48 of the wall 48. This valve is pivoted on pin 50. A coil spring 52 is wound around pin 50 and bears on the valve and normally tends to hold the valve 46 upon its seat and therefore functions as a check valve. Also, in the preferred embodiment the reservoir is filled from the bottom through an opening 56 which is normally closed by a resilient plug 58. To fill the reservoir 24, the holster is inverted and the bubble forming liquid is then poured into the chamber through the opening 56, which is thereafter closed by The opening 32 in the rearwardly extending section 30 is adapted to receive a capsule 60 having a cap 62. This capsule is used to carry an extra supply of bubble forming liquid. The capsule 6i) and its cap 62 are shaped to simulate a cartridge.

In operating the device, the end of the gun barrel is. dipped into the liquid within the reservoir 24 and sufiicient liquid adheres to the end of this gun barrel to form a plurality of bubbles, all as explained in the aforementioned patent to Schwerbel and Mann. If the valve 46 is employed, it normally prevents the escape of liquid from the reservoir 24 to the chamber 28, but should there be any leakage, as previously explained, the chamber 28 is so formed as to have a capacity for retaining such leakage at least equal to the capacity of reservoir 24. That is, the walls 40, 42, the height of section 28, and the horizontal cross-sectional areaof section 28 are made such that when'holster 20 is laid on its side, any leakage from reservoir 24 will draw onto the'side wall of section 28 and be dammed there by walls 40 and'42. It will be noted from the drawing that where reservoir 24 and section 28.

are substantially cylindrical in shape, such leakage would collect in a space whose volume is calculated by multiplying the height of section 28 by the area of the horizontal segment bounded by the side wall of section 28 and a horizontal chord line located tangent to the side wall of reservoir 24. In addition, since the wall 42 is wider than the wall 24, not all of the liquid in reservoir 24 would drain out when the holster is laid on its side. In this manner there will be no spillage from the holster should the child place the holster on the floor, chair, table or the like.

Any suitable means may be employed for fastening the holster to a belt or the like, and in the specific embodiment two C-shaped or slotted extensions 64 are provided on a side wall of the skirt section 26 for receiving a belt. ervoir24, inverted skirt section 26, the intermediate section 28, walls 48 and 42, upwardly extending wall 34, the rearward extension 3 0 and the strap receiving section 64 may be formed integrally, for example out of thermosetting plastic.

While the form of embodiment herein shown and described constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms may be adopted falling within the scope of the claims that follow.

If desired, the entire holster including the res-.

I claim:

1. A bubble gun holster comprising in combination, means forming a bottom reservoir having an opening in the top thereof; a top section in the form of an inverted skirt; an intermediate section open to the reservoirand the lower part of the skirt section, the walls forming the intermediate section being so disposed as to form a chamber having a capacity for retaining liquid at least equal tothe capacity of the bottom reservoir regardless or on which side the holster may be laid'whereby said intermediate section will retain liquid which may drain from said bottom reservoir when the holster is laid on its side.

2. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim, 1, characterized to include a check valve for normally preventiing the flow of liquid from the'bottom reservoir to the intermediate section and disposed so as to be depressib'le to open position by the front end of a bubble gun.

3. A bubble gun holster as definedin claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate section is enlarged in horizontal cross-section. i

4. A bubble gun bolster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate section is enlarged in horizontal cross-section, and further characterized to include a check valve for normally preventing the flow of liquid from the bottom reservoir to the intermediate section and disposed so as to be depressible to open position by the front end of a bubble gun.

5. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the bottom reservoir, the inverted skirt section, and the intermediate section, are formed integrally.

6. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that it is adapted to receive a bubble gun having a barrel, and in that the inverted skirt section is provided with an upright part providing a guide for the barrel of the bubble gun.

7. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that it is adapted to receive a bubble gun having a barrel, and in that the inverted skirt section is provided with an upright part providing a guide for the barrel of the bubble gun; characterized to include a check valve for normally preventing the flow of liquid from the bottom reservoir to the intermediate section and disposed so as to be depressible to open position by the front end of abubble gun, and further characterized in that the intermediate section is enlarged in horizontal crosssection.

8. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate section includes an upper horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the lower part of the inverted skirt section and including a lower horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the bottom reservoir, said openings being aligned for receiving the barrel of a bubble gun, and further characterized in that the under side of said lower wall forms a valve seat, and a i check valve cooperating with the valve seat.

10. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate section is enlarged in horizontal cross-section, said intermediate section including an upper horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the lower part of the inverted skirt section and including a lower horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the bottom reservoir, said openings being aligned for receiving the barrel of a bubble gun.

11. A bubble gun holster as defined in claim 1, characterized in that the intermediate section is enlarged in horizontal cross-section, said intermediate section including an upper horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the lower part of the inverted skirt section and including a lower horizontally extending wall having an opening communicating with the bottom reservoir, said openings being aligned for receiving the barrel of a bubble gun, and further characterized in that the under side of said lower wall forms a valve seat, and a check valve cooperating with the valve seat.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a holster for a bubble gun including means forming a lower reservoir section, an upper section of inverted skirt shape, an intermediate section having a liquid carrying capacity at least equal to the capacity of the reservoir section regardless of the side upon which the holster is laid whereby said intermediate section will retain liquid which may drain from said reservoir section when said holster is laid on its side.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,580,598 Grotta Apr. 13, 1926 2,518,627 Lorenz Aug. 15, 1950 2,741,068 Hollis Apr. 10, 1956 2,828,579 Schwerbel et al Apr. 1, 1958 

